The Panasonic Lumix 13.2MP camera phone

These days, companies are battling in the smartphone arena with faster processors, sleek designs, and more robust apps. Cameras sensors are also seeing a lot of upgrades, and that’s about to get a bit more competitive by the people at Panasonic. Apparently, they’ve got a 13.2MP Lumix phone in the works.

We already know about the Lumix brand when it comes to Panasonic digital cameras, but this is the first time they’re using it in the cell phone realm. It’s kind of like the whole Cyber-shot thing going on with Sony. I don’t think it’ll push more phones into the hands of consumers, but it probably won’t hurt either.

Beyond the 13.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, the upcoming Lumix camera phone is rumored to get a 3.3-inch LCD, 17.7mm profile (definitely thicker than most thin phones these days), and room for “its expanding imaging equipment.” Does that mean they’ll have additional lens, adapters, and other accessories for this thing like how they would for a real camera? Panasonic traditionally uses Leica lenses, could it be a Leica lens toting smartphone? The site also mentions a “folding mechanism” which means its going to be a clamshell.